Wichita man arrested on plot to bomb Wichita Airport

A 58-year-old Wichita man allegedly plotting a suicide car bombing at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport was arrested Friday as he tried to drive on to the facility's tarmac.

Terry Lee Loewen, an avionics technician at the airport, was arrested at 5:40 a.m. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Owen had been under investigation and surveillance since early summer, when he allegedly stated he wanted to "commit an act of violent jihad' against the United States.

Loewen was charged in federal court in Wichita with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

Authorities say bomb materials Loewen allegedly planned on using had been "rendered inert'' before Loewen arrived at the airport.

"At no point was any citizen in any type of danger,'' Grissom said.

Loewen had a security card that provided access to restricted areas of the airport, the largest in Kansas. He allegedly planned to load his car with explosives, then detonate the bomb as he entered the airport. Authorities said Loewen had planned to set off the bomb when the airport was most crowded.

While the case remains under investigation, no additional arrests are anticipated. Loewen is not associated with any religious group in Wichita, Grissom said.